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2024 -- Shape of the year

 The second month of the year has proven to be almost as good as January, Prices and volumes are identical to January, but sales are 15% better than in 2023.  Mostly, due to higher volumes, this is the last month where the increase in CO2 will be much higher than the previous year, as better use of UV and IR lamps will create higher productivity until the beginning of the summer.  Simply we expect better than 2023 performance until the beginning of the summer.

The anticipated price rise after the UK, change in import policy only materialized for the first two weeks of the month and reversed thereafter.  The meat sector was far more affected than the vegetable sector.  overall price rose 5% over 2023 and fell slightly between January and February.  In terms of input costs, the farm saw no inflation; fuel prices are static, and the farm's other input costs were fixed months ago.  Year-on-year inflation has been flat for the farm.  Not exciting but very good nevertheless.

In other news, our contractor began the renovation of the building we've assigned for our new daycare facility.  In January, the building was thoroughly cleaned and several air and material tests were conducted, the building is free of asbestos and lead (paint), and free of any Fungal or bacterial spores.  Our contractor believes that the building may be ready by the summer, but that is based on there being no surprises.  A tall order for an 18th-century old stable (the building was part of the house's estate and was for the horse and carriage (it sits halfway between our house and the farm's courtyard).  

Everyone is very excited, several parents, siblings and grandparents have started their necessary classes.  We have among all these family members 9 nurses (and 3 retired doctors) who have offered to participate.  In addition to the 42 grandparents and 12 siblings, that signed up.  It has been set up as a cooperative, where the board (parents) offer a one-year contract to up to 46 "family members".  The plan is for the daycare to open at 5 am five days a week, and close around noon.  The daycare has been registered as a charity.  We estimated that the out-of-pocket cost to parents will be less than £ 6.00 per day.  What we do, is that we lend them the balance throughout the year and they re-embursed us at the end of the year, from their tax reimbursements.  In my opinion, an idiotic system when you consider that young families are cash-strapped, but we are allowed to offer this service at "cost".  In the UK the ratio of caregivers and children is 5:1.  

The benefit to the farm is huge.  The cost of the renovation is capitalized in the value of the building, which remains our property that we lease to the charity for £ 1.00 per year.  Therefore none of the renovation costs are imputed to the charity (all legal).  We have very happy parents (and grandparents) who now have an organized system to mind the children, who are less than a 10-minute walk from the old farm's courtyard.  It adds zero annual costs to the farm's operations, there are some cash timing differences, but the total is inconsequential in the overall business.  31 parents have signed (a total of 33 children below the age of 5).  There is also talk of having an afternoon shift, but again this is a decision by the board of the charity.  

The enthusiasm with which this project has been met by our employees cannot be overstated.  Even our childless employees have been involved in the process.  this project has created strong bonds in our workforce that we never anticipated.  In recent days the biggest challenge was to see if the building and the plans would pass the approval of all the necessary authorities.  Health and safety were the biggest hurdles.  

It worked out!

Note:  The daycare workers only work one or two days a week.  The daily number is governed by the number and age of children, right now the daycare only takes children 12 months and older.  Between 12 and 24 we have 3 children per staff, and the number of children rises based on age.  As one grandmother said to my wife recently, a day or two a week is far easier than five days a week.  

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